On Wednesday, Wolf doesn’t attend school, claiming he doesn’t feel well. While sticky notes are no longer being physically posted, their words are being used in disagreements and fights. In English, Eric passes Deedee a note asking if Rose visited him yesterday. Before Deedee can answer, Mr. Sword addresses the class, forcing Deedee to hide the note. While Mr. Sword doesn’t send students to the office for using sticky notes, he still doesn’t allow them in class. If he catches someone, he simply tosses their note in the trash without reading it, allegedly to protect his students from punishment. Eric suspects he’s “trying to protect us from more than that” (257).

During lunch, Eric and Deedee go to the bathroom, and their bullies from English class corner them. One tries to dunk Deedee’s head in the toilet, but Rose enters the bathroom before he can. She makes a bet: She and one of the bullies will run the Gauntlet, and whoever makes it the farthest wins. If she wins, the bully has to wear a sticky note the next day that says whatever she wants. If she loses, the bully can dunk her, Eric, and Deedee.